How to write

a screenplay.
Or tell a better story.
[storystuff]

by Victor Pieiro

First things first.

Whats your idea?

It should have a HOOK.

It should be HIGH CONCEPT.
Which really means...

It should be awesome.

high concept: adj. a story based on a striking and

easily communicable plot or idea
(Oxford English Dictionary)

Awesome ideas.
A cop who has to kill robots might be a robot himself.
During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power

breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaurs to run amok.

A suicidal family man is given the opportunity to see what

the world would be like if he had never been born.

A guy who complains about God too often is given

almighty powers to teach him how difficult it is to run the

world.
After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a

month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.

You need a PLOT

and a STORY.

Plot

the hero WANTING something

one event causing another

Story

the hero NEEDING something

revealing the heros character

Okay, youve got your awesome idea.

Tell it to me in one line.

Your one-line idea, or LOGLINE, should include or

suggest these three elements:
Someone (the hero) wants something (the goal) but
is blocked by something (the adversary).

Awesome loglines
An 8-year-old boy, who is accidentally left behind while his

family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home

against idiotic burglars.
A cowboy toy is profoundly threatened and jealous when a

fancy spaceman toy supplants him as top toy in a boy's

room.
A weatherman finds himself living the same day over and

over again.
A naive young man battles heartless authorities to protect

the life of his girlfriend when its revealed that shes not
human shes a mermaid.

If it helps, you can also describe the TONE of your movie

with an X meets Y, X with Y or X in Y one-liner.

Pocahontas In Space

blair witch meets Godzilla

hamlet with lions

jaws with other

creatures

For bonus points, give me:

Your idea in one word.

(This is your THEME.)

revenge.

family.

character.

Okay, you have an idea.

Whos your hero?

To define your hero, ask:

What does he WANT?

What does he NEED?

A WANT is external.
A NEED is internal.

WANTS:

Parents to Meet

NEEDS:

Courage

WANTS:

NEEDS:

Money

Trust/Love

WANTS:

NEEDS:

Tomorrow

To Appreciate Today

WANTS:

To Defeat Doc Ock

NEEDS:

Confidence

One more question.

Whats his FLAW?

[What he NEEDS is related to his FLAW.]

FEAR.

INDECISION..

SELF-DOUBT.

Okay, youve got a hero.

Whos the adversary?

[Note: They might not be a villain.]

An adversary embodies the heros FLAW.

An adversary forces the hero to face his FLAW.

Adversary.

ADVERSARY.

ADVERSARY.

ADVERSARY.

Idea? Check.
Hero? Check.
Adversary? Check.

Lets talk STRUCTURE.

Most films (and many stories) have THREE ACTS.

Each ACT is made up of SEQUENCES.
Each SEQUENCE is made up of SCENES.
Each SCENE is made up of BEATS.

MOVIE

ACT ACT ACT

SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE

= SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE
SEQUENCE SEQUENCE SEQUENCE
SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE
SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE
= SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE
SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE
SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE

BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT
BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT
BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT
BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT
BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT

Beat

the smallest unit in a script/story

an exchange of action & reaction

Scene

a continuous action in a specific location

functions as a mini-story
has a protagonist with a goal
the protagonists must face an obstacle
a scene either moves the story forward or
reveals info about the character

Sequence

several scenes that build up to a bigger climax

each sequence has a mini-goal
sequences end in turning points
turning point = a goal achieved or lost
turning point = the story changing direction

Act

several sequences that build up to a climax

the climax is a a major turning point

Stories also tend to have the following SIGNPOSTS.

A day in the life.

Show us what the heros world is like, introduce all the
main characters, introduce the heros flaw(s).

MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

The SPARK!
Something happens and the heros world is FLIPPED ON
ITS HEAD. This is where the HOOK comes in. You can
also consider this THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.

MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

Do I Stay or Do I Go?
The hero must decide whether to embark on this
adventure (or take this new opportunity). 99% of the time
she will REFUSE INITIALLY and something will drive her
to make the decision and GO!
MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

Into the New World

The hero (boldly) ventures into the new world, which is
the OPPOSITE of the world shes lived in up to this point.

MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

What is love?
The new world often comes with a few new characters,
including the LOVE INTEREST. He usually represents
what the hero NEEDS.

MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

Melt Their Faces Off

Remember that awesome HOOK you thought up? Pay it
off here. The hero has fun with her new powers or
situation. The audience should LOVE this part.

MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

Crossing the Rubicon

In other words, this is the POINT OF NO RETURN. The
hero must do something which she cant undo, which
will soon plunge her into the NIGHTMARE... but not
quite yet.
MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

False Victory
The hero gets a moment of clarity, and everything seems
like its going to be okay shes going to prevail...
[Note: sometimes this is False Defeat.]

MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

Long Journey Into Night

Things go from bad to worse. The villains come back,
way more powerful than before. The heros losing her
external battle and internal battle (which often means the
love interest leaves).
MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

Rock Bottom
Things could not get worse. The villains seem
unstoppable. All hope is lost. The love interest ditched
the hero (usually because of the heros FLAW). And just
when things are at their most hopeless...
MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

From the Ashes

...the hero realizes her flaw, learns her lesson, and
formulates a plan to defeat the villain. Heres where the A
story (the main plot) and the B story (often the love
interest) meet.
MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

Time to Kick Ass!

The hero faces the villain, who is at their strongest... and
WINS! By winning she has now CHANGED THE
WORLD. The hero is now older and wiser. And every
major character HAS CHANGED.
MIDPOINT

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

Signposts
ACT ONE
Day In the Life
The SPARK!
Do I Stay or Do I Go?
Into the New World!
ACT TWO
What Is Love?
Melt Their Faces Off
Crossing the Rubicon (Midpoint)
False Victory
Long Journey Into Night
Rock Bottom
From the Ashes
ACT THREE
Time to Kick Ass!

The best advice I can give you at this point is:

Focus on your outline.

Spend a lot of time working out the beats, scenes,

sequences and acts. Use the signposts to help guide
your story. Stories/Scripts ARE structure. Iron out
structure before you dive into the writing.*

* This point is super controversial. For another take, Google the term pantser.

Checklist
You have an awesome idea thats easy to communicate.
Your hero is awesome and likable.
She wants something thats tangible, and she wants it BAD.
She is flawed and needs to change if shes to succeed.
Her adversary is formidable.
Every scene has conflict.
Obstacles get harder and harder.
Stakes get higher and higher.
We enter scenes late and leave scenes early.
Every major character changes by the end.
The turning points should be SURPRISING BUT INEVITABLE.

Rookie Mistakes
Your hero is too passive.
Your main character has too many friends.
You have a few (or many) scenes that lack conflict.
Your characters dont all change (or learn something).
You have too much exposition, and are telling, not showing.
Your scenes are way too long.
Every character sounds the same.
The stakes arent high enough.

Finally, the best advice I can give you:

Read.

Start with these books.

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
Story by Robert McKee
The Screenwriters Bible by David Trottier
Screenplay by Syd Field
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Writing Movies For Fun & Profit by Ben Garant & Tom Lennon
Save the Cat Strikes Back by Blake Snyder

* In order of usefulness (to me).

Visit these websites.

http://johnaugust.com
http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/
http://www.gointothestory.com/
http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/
http://www.tracking-board.com/

Caveats!
These tips and guidelines are a collection of stuff Ive found
useful as Ive learned about storytelling and screenwriting.
Nothing here is set in stone and all these rules can be broken.
I learned a lot of this stuff from the books I mentioned earlier
do yourself a favor and read them!
Im barely scratching the surface here. Didnt even get into genre!
I wrote this for friends whove asked me to give them a quick
primer on storytelling basics, and for a younger version of myself
I wish Id known some of this when I was in high school or
college.

Who I Am
Hi Im Victor. I havent written an Oscar-winning screenplay, a
summer blockbuster or The Great American Novel.
I did write and produce the documentary Second Skin, which
premiered at SXSW, won a bunch of awards, and was distributed
internationally. Ive also written a bunch of screenplays, one
which was a Sundance Film Lab Finalist.
Besides film, Ive worked on establishing stories and voices for
Skittles, Star Wars and other brands. Ive also published a bunch
of articles and poetry. And of course, Ive got that unfinished
novel in the desk drawer.
Talk to me: victor@victorpineiro.com Twitter: @victorpineiro

Thanks!
Tyson Damman for the design.
James Hutchinson for the advice.
Will Simon for the edits.
Juan Carlos Pieiro Escoriaza for the ideas.
Greg Babonis for the tweaks.